Updated: Missing delegates stall Md. same-sex marriage bill

By
John Wagner

One of two legislators who went missing Tuesday morning for a committee vote on Maryland's same-sex marriage legislation said they are withholding their votes on the bill to gain "leverage" on unrelated issues they consider equally important.

Del. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore) told reporters Tuesday afternoon that she and Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D-Prince George's) are concerned about school funding for Baltimore and Prince George's County and some family law bills that have yet to move forward.

"This is still very early in the session, so I think there is time to get it all done," Carter said.

Colleagues had frantically tried to locate the two legislators for about half an hour Tuesday morning before calling off a scheduled vote in the House Judiciary Committee. Both Alston and Carter are co-sponsors of the House version of the same-sex marriage bill.

Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Montgomery), a bill supporter, suggested earlier in the day that the absence of his colleagues showed "dissatisfaction with the way this bill has been organized."

"It simply means the soup's not ready yet," said Don H. Dwyer Jr. (R-Anne Arundel), a staunch opponent of the bill, suggesting that supporters were short of votes.

The bill had been moving forward at a rapid clip since passing the Senate 25 to 21 on Thursday night. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill Friday and convened Tuesday morning after supporters thought they had secured the needed votes to send the bill to the floor later this week.

Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince George's), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the panel would try to vote again later Tuesday.

In his budget for the coming fiscal year, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) proposed freezing overall school funding at its current level. Baltimore and Prince George's leaders have said they are particularly hard hit by the plan because of the funding formula on which it is based.

Alston was said to be in a meeting when a reporter stopped by her office Tuesday afternoon.

House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery), the lead sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill, said he and other legislative leaders have been working on ways to increase school funding for Baltimore and Prince George's.

As a gay resident of Del. Carter's district, I certainly hope she and her colleague show up soon. With hope, prayer, and trust, thiss bill will pass and be signed very soon. Then ALL of maryland's families will be equally valued under the law.

Not all Md families because polygamy is still not legal....denying polygamous families full marital rights.
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Chuck_in_B-More: do incestuous relationships deserve special/equal rights, too?

hey, if gay marriages are legalized, just think about how many 'friends' of the same sex will be able to FAKE marriages in order to gain health insurance and other benefits in order to not have to hand over financial stuff to ex-husbands, children, brothers, sisters, and estate taxes, etc.. a great way to LEGALLY "cop out" if your real intention is to remain single, and your health is failing, or age is creeping up on you..hmmm..

peterdc, if I read the article correctly, the two delegates are trying to increase school funding (particularly in Prince Georges County and Baltimore County). While I totally support your civil rights bill, I also know what the proposed funding cuts will do to the children in Prince Georges County. So I guess all I can do is wish us both good luck and hope that our delegates do the right thing.

Hey CubsFan - you have it a little backward - running away from screwing up our economy and from 2 ridiculous wars that they started to make their wealthy buds even more wealthy is the Republican's reason for being! Democrats are responsible for every single law that has benefited U.S. citizens in the last 100 years!

When the political history of this period is written it will be said of Democrat legislators: "When the going got tough and they couldn't stomp their feet and hold their breath until they turned blue to get their way, they just ran away to another state." I always knew that liberals and Democrats were losers, but now I have proof. Very satisfying, for sure.

peterdc, if I read the article correctly, the two delegates are trying to increase school funding (particularly in Prince Georges County and Baltimore County). While I totally support your civil rights bill, I also know what the proposed funding cuts will do to the children in Prince Georges County. So I guess all I can do is wish us both good luck and hope that our delegates do the right thing.

@TaxiDriver:
I'm not sure how allowing same-sex marriage in Maryland would cause the "whole state to collapse," but I'd be fascinated to hear your reasoning. Care to share? Suffice it to say that the five states and one district that have already allowed same-sex marriage have not "collapsed." And GLBT folks are surely children of God, so running for the hills isn't really going to do much, especially since we're in the hills, too.

You said:
Nice to see Maryland has its priorities straight. Allowing gays to marry could cause the whole state to collapse!!! Run for the hills, children of God!!!

Okay,let's see..the worst performing systems AND the highest two budgets/cost per pupil in MD...Ever heard of perform first--fund second?? These two idiots would hold their own families hostage for a freakin' constituent vote. Grow up...get the vote done--let's DO move into the 21st century and give these folks the rights they deserve. Such petty childishness...and to think we elect these hypocrites.

What a shock: African-American church-goers appear to be trying to undermine gay rights in Maryland. Who would have expected such a thing?!

That a co-sponsor would do this, and suggest they were only trying to get leverage "for the schools" is beyond cynical, beyond disingenuous...and beyond absurd----as if *anyone* would believe the claim that a (sincerely supportive) co-sponsor of a bill would carry out a threat to prevent its emergence from committee!

If the civil marriage bill fails in the Maryland House of Delegates, we'll know *exactly* whom to blame.... And it won't be Delegate Dwyer.

Finally a delegate who listens to her constituency…this issue should not be considered by a small group of electorates…something this important needs to be left to the people. Why are our representatives so afraid of letting the people have their voices heard? Odd that it’s ok to go AWOL in Wisconsin but not in Maryland!!!

Finally a delegate who listens to her constituency…this issue should not be considered by a small group of electorates…something this important needs to be left to the people. Why are our representatives so afraid of letting the people have their voices heard? Odd that it’s ok to go AWOL in Wisconsin but not in Maryland!!!

Posted by: OhDarn | March 1, 2011 7:09 PM

Hey OhDarn,
This is a civil rights issue. Civil rights issues should NEVER be decided at the ballot box by the electorate. If miscegenation were put on the ballot in Maryland in the 1950's, would it have passed? Probably not. That's why the electorate should NEVER be allowed to hold a plebescite on civil rights issues.

Hey Snoisgud...we are governed under the premise of "We the People," not we the few. Let me see if I've got this right. Using your logic that a ballot proposition or measure might not pass, which according to you is a given, therefore it should not be put on the ballot? Is that the best you’ve got; weak, very weak! Marylanders are entitled too and should demand the right to put this on the ballot, end of argument, enough said!

Hey Snoisgud...we are governed under the premise of "We the People," not we the few. Let me see if I've got this right. Using your logic that a ballot proposition or measure might not pass, which according to you is a given, therefore it should not be put on the ballot? Is that the best you’ve got; weak, very weak! Marylanders are entitled too and should demand the right to put this on the ballot, end of argument, enough said!
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Wow OhDarn, I gave you too much credit in my original post. Not only did you totally misunderstand my comment, you obviously have no idea what miscegenation is. The point I'm making is that civil rights issues should never be made into a plebescite. It creates tyranny of the majority.

OhDarn, you need to take a civics class. We live in a federal republic where we elect representatives who do just that, represent their constituents.

Constituents include ALL citizens, not just those with the majority view. It is the job of our elected representatives to ensure that everyone's civil rights are maintained (or in this case established) no matter what the majority feels. In the 1960's, or elected representatives finally had the cajones to do what was right by enacting multiple civil rights legislation. That's exactly what the MD General Assembly is in the process of doing today.

So OhDarn, learn some civics so you too can become an enlightened and active citizen!

Although I understand the motivation driving these two delegates who want desperately to bring critical education funding to their schools, I am so dismayed that they have chosen to hold the same sex marriage bill hostage to accomplish their mission.

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